With the future models of 992 coming at us from every direction, the new Targa has been the only one viewed with no camouflage, indicating that it will likely be the next 992 to be officially revealed. The incoming GT3 and Turbo have both been out and about but the Targa has been running round the Nurburgring in a bright red color grabbing the attention of photographers camped out at the ‘ring.
The only reason there even is a new Targa is because of its rich history. In 1973, Porsche was looking for ways to produce a convertible car that had structural rigidity in order to comply with the fickle American regulations for selling a convertible car on American soil. Porsche eagerly jumped to find a conclusion since the American market for convertibles was so massive. Eventually, the solution to their problem came to them in the form of the famous silver roll bar seen on early targa models. Zuffenhausen’s engineers learned that putting this roll bar in place of the B pillar would provide the required amount of rigidity while still being able to remove a section of the roof-the car was still a convertible. Porsche named this special 911 the “Targa” to celebrate their success in the Targa Florio race where driver Gijs van Lennep won the race in his Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. Yet another Porsche named after racing.
However, Targas didn’t always have the roll bar we see today. The 993 and 996 generations had a Panoramic roof that stretched from the windshield all the way to the trunk. The 997 generation also had the panoramic roof but it was only available in the 4 and 4S trim levels.
For the 991 generation, Porsche only offered the Targa on AWD trim models yet again but they also took the Targa back to its roots by bringing back the classic brushed aluminum roll bar and 3 gills. To cope with the times this new Targa had an automatic folding roof, with the rear glass window moving all the way up allowing the cloth to automatically fold behind the seats.
That brings us back to the 992 Targa. Recently spotted at the Nurburgring, it is seen sporting the same brushed aluminum roll bar and gills as the 991 and is keeping the Targa tradition alive. However, one question remains. The Targa has always been heavier than the cabriolet, so will Porsche bring back the RWD Targa to save weight for the 992 generation? Only time will tell… Tell us what you think in the comments!
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